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Industry leaders highlight need for sustainable water supply

From farms to golf courses, water is essential for life and business operations. In a country like Australia where supplying water has regularly proven to be an obstacle, it's important to keep an eye on the development of water industry.

That's what the Australian Water Association and Deloitte have done in their recently released State of the Water Sector Report. The researchers surveyed over 1,000 water professionals to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the country's water supplies.

Overall, the report found that ongoing investment and leadership will remain critical for the industry to continue to meet demand for fresh, usable water going forward – in both rural and urban environments.

"The water industry is challenged today, and will be challenged in coming years, when it comes to balancing price and affordability for consumers and industry against the need to maintain and augment existing infrastructure – which comes at a cost," said Chief Executive of the Australian Water Association Jonathan McKeown.

With Deloitte National Water Leader Matt Williams identifying climate change as a significant risk factor for maintaining sustainable water supplies, the analysts noted the importance of establishing the right infrastructure and strategies to utilise diverse water sources. This includes desalinated, recycled water – in addition to using dams to manage water supplies and suppliers.

Optimistically, 87 per cent of the study's participants said water could be "treated and managed to a level that is sufficient for safe and potable supply".

To achieve these aims in a sustainable, affordable way, water industry leaders and consumers alike will need to leverage efficient technology. Solutions like Hydrosmart's water conditioners make it possible to use previously suboptimal water sources, maximising the usefulness of water supplies.

Additionally, 43 per cent of the study's respondents said that financial limitations were an obstacle for research and development within the industry and over a third (37 per cent) said they needed to address community concerns over rising prices. The low-power, affordable characteristics of Hydrosmart's solution make it an especially attractive option among solutions that keep water costs reasonable.